The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Robert Collie

Contents



Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Take the “On Ramp”
The Making of the Map
Clearing the Mind: Not a Bad Joke
But . . . But . . . But . . .
Chapter 2: The Disorder of Paradox
Tourist from Jupiter
The OCD Group: A Study in Poles Apart?
Starting to Sort It Out
We Mammals
Chapter 3: OCD: Hunting for the Disorder of the Thinking Animal
The Solution
Seeing the Problem
The Scent of the Hunt
The Hunt
In the Beginning: Cause and Effect
As It Might Have Been
Summary
Chapter 4: OCD and Homo Religiosus--Religious Man
The Emergence of Religious Feelings
Now We Are in Recorded History
For Christians, The Dividing Line of History Occurs
The Jewish Track of History
The Christian Track of History
Three History-Bending Saints
implications for Today
Summary
Chapter 5: Now It Is Our Turn
Humility
Nancy: A Chain of Three
Marie: The Girl Gang-Tackled by OCD
Nanette Joyce: A Love of Beauty and a Compulsion to Hoard
Anne: Wrestling with Shame and Guilt--and Perfection
Mary: The Little Girl Who Wanted to Marry Jesus
Lou: Thirty-Five Years in the Dark
Paul: Poet Laureate of OCD
What We Can Learn from OCD
Summary
Chapter 6: Homo Sapiens Sapiens: We Have Found the Enemy and It Is Us
The Old Brain
The Midbrain
The New Brain
Adding It All Up
Chapter 7: Theory Made Practical
Differential Diagnosis
Rethinking Diagnosis
Symptom Selection
Progression and Regression
Bagging the Game: Implications of Evolutionary Thinking
Personality, OCD, and Symptom Creep
Personal Development
Pathways to Change
Chapter 8: Learning From Effecting Change
We Have Much Experience with What Does Not Work
We Now Have Some Experience with What Works and Why
Clean, Clean, Clean Your Carpet, Gently Down Life’s Stream
Step Ahead
Theory into Scenario
Planning for Practice
We Climbers Now Have a Good Foothold
Gaining Wisdom from OCD
Chapter 9: OCD and the Quality of Life
Loving with Your Heart
Loving with All Your Mind
Loving with All Your Strength
Loving with All the Soul
Quality of Life: The Need for a Role Model
Chapter 10: Theologizing in a Neurobiological Age
Our Past Continues into Our Present
Implications for Living in the Present
What Then Can We Affirm?
The Direction of Human Potential
Appendix: Available Resources
Notes
Index